The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1887-06-23
LITTLE THINGS.
Col. H. ". Pinekney, in Dixie.

mighty good thing that this is so
else oyer-produetion would be the
rule, not the exception. | know {
man who is getting rich out of baby
swings. It's simple, cheap thing
to make, and he started in SIMPLE
and cheap way TO make them, his en-.
tire outfit OF tools comprising two
saws, two saw-benches, a draw shave.
two hand planes, brace and some
bits and rough work bench. He
didn't stand around with his hands in
his pockets waiting for somebody
with capital TO come along and boost
him. Not much. lie thought these
swings would sell, so he made one
aud peddled it around until he found
purchaser Then he made another
and sold that, and thus he kept on
unril finally people began to think
his swings were good thing to have
in the family, and they began to in
quire tor them. He started eight
years ago, and alone, did all the
work OF making and selling them.
Things with hun are very different
to-day. lie has shop two stories in
height, and machinery for saving,
planning, boring, mortising, turning
and sand-papering the material en-
terlng into the construction of these
swings, In that shop forty men find
constant employment, and as | said
before, the owner is getting rich out
of it. Counting the wives and chill
dren Of the workmen in that shop,
there is population OF nearly or
quite one hundred and fifty making
a living out of one mans idea that IA
baby-swing would sell. 4 baby
swing is not very big thing, but it
is in this case big enough to keep
quite little village busy and COM
Portable,
a step-ladder is a mighty handy
thing to have around the house. Five
years ago three men by the closest
kind OF scraping, twisting and Dor
rowing, managed to get together FIVE
hundred dollars. They bought some
lumber, riggei up circular, or buzz
rlp-saw, and started in TO make step
ladders. For two years it was a
struggle of the hardest kinu; sales
had to be made by personal canvass I:
prices obtained permitted no margl n
of profit, and the outlook was Of sue Ii
a dlscpuraging nature that their
friends and neighbors pitied them
first, then proph esied dead failure
and finally laughed at their folly in
sticking by losing game. There
came change, however. A promi-
rent honse-furnishing goods firm one
day wrote them for prices on five
thousand ladders. The size of this
possible order very nearly took them
off their feet. They had sense
enough, however, - understand that
this big house would not give them
the order unless prices were made
away down, 50 they sat down and
figured the thing over, and having
decided that matter awaited the re-
suit, which turned in their favor and
they got the order. Then they went
TO work; each one took his coat off
and pitched in; they worked sixteen
hours day until that order was fill
ed, and it was filled on time, and
each ladder was honestly made. The
only expense they realized was for
lumber, screws and paint. They had
done all the work themselves. This
was the turning point in their bust
ness career, Within month from
the delivery of these Ave thousand
ladders they had contracted with the
same house for a monthly supply OF
two thousand FIVE hundred. They
were on their feet now, and began to
push things. They. are. tnxning out
to-day, with fifteen men, ten thous-
and step ladders each month, and
have been doing this for more than a
year. A step ladder is little thing,
but these men are making money
out Of them.
About fifteen years ago, in one OF
the big planning mills in Chicago, a
strip OF board catching, in some un-
accountable manner, on a buzz-saw
was hurled with violence against the
leg OF one of the workmen, breaking
it and badly mangling the flesh. The
injury resulted in incapacitating the
man for performing the labor requir-
ed OF him in the mill, and he was
compelled to seek other means of
livelihood. A man of fine mechanical
attainments, his endeavors very nat
urally sought outlet in that direction,
so he built, after his own ideas, a
scroll or fret saw, foot power, and
rugged up seat on it, as he was un-
able to stand for any length of time,
and began saving out and putting
together articles for household orna-
ment and utility. He regarded this
as simply temporary means Of max
inc a living After time he added